Sifnos: Stairway to Heaven

Of all the islands in the Western Cyclades, some say Sifnos may be the most “spiritual.” There is a church with fresco interiors where it is said angels come to sing before the priest starts his service, there is a bay so serene it appears to kneel before you, and there is a stairway beside a brilliant, white-washed monastery that is rumored to lead to, well… heaven.

And all of these enchanting places are easily accessible from Dina’s Rooms in the island’s main port of Kamares. Dina’s rooms are on a horseshoe-shaped bay on the quiet side of the gentle body of brilliant blue-green water. It is a perfect setting for those wanting peace and solitude, but just a short walk to the shops and tavernas and the bus stop across the bay.

During the day, one can sunbathe on the veranda (or on the nearby beach or rocks just minutes away) and in the evening it is pleasant to view the bright lights of the tavernas and the famous “Captain’s Bar,” on the other side. Yachtsmen come from all over Greece to have a drink with the captain and party into early morning hours. Guests at Dina’s are happy they are on the opposite side of the bay!

The Arguras Restaurant and Taverna is next to Dina’s Rooms and it is without a doubt the best restaurant in Kamares and one of the best dining spots on the entire island. Fresh fish is served daily and the catch comes directly from the morning boats. Arguras, the owner, will grill a fish to perfection and his wife, Stella, makes a variety of Greek specialties for the afternoon and evening meals. Guests are invited into the kitchen to make their selections.

Sifnos is a mountainous island with small valleys filled with olive and almond trees and numerous beaches with thin, golden sand. It has a triangular shape of seventy-four square miles and a perimeter of twenty-eight miles.

Kamares is centrally located and a bus near the newsstand will take one to many points, including the port of Faros, within ten to twenty minutes. Photographers come from all over the world to take pictures of the famous monasteries, particularly the Monastery of Panaghia Chryssopighi, a magnificent snow-white structure with the stairway to heaven. It sits dramatically on a rock that some say was split during a miracle performed by the Virgin Mary, patron saint and protector of the island. Sifnos is approximately five hours by boat from Piraeus, and the trip is shorter by Flying Dolphin. Connections can be made easily to the nearby islands of Paros, Syros, Kythnos, Serifos, Folegandros, Sikinos, and Santorini. Boats also leave regularly for Crete, Ios, and the Dodecanese.

In Crete’s Mountains – The Legend of the 12 Archontopoula

If you are fortunate enough to visit one of the remote mountain villages of Crete, and if you are not fluent in the language, but have the services of a local translator, you will hear one of the most fascinating stories ever told. The tale has been transmitted as “oral history” for years in the mountain tavernas, but it is usually told as though it happened yesterday.

It is the compelling and intriguing tale of The Legend of the Twelve Archontopoula. While much of the story is unauthenticated, it has captured the attention of professional and amateur historians, genealogists, sociologists, mystery lovers, and a large number of Cretans.

While many Cretans claim they are descendants of one of the twelve, there are some actual descendants who are not aware of their true lineage. What is this tantalizing legend? What is truth and what is fiction?

Let us go back in time to the 12th Century in Constantinople, then known as Byzantium, when Byzantium ruled Crete. It is said there was unrest in Crete. Most believe there was a rebellion. And so, the story or legend goes, a Byzantine emperor sent the heads of twelve noble Byzantine families to settle in Crete and he divided the island amongst them. The largest piece, which included Sfakia, went to a man named Skordylis.

At some point, most likely during the time of Venetian rule, a claim was made that there was an official document (an order) signed by an emperor. The document was called a chrysobull (golden seal) and it gave the twelve men royal lineage. The chrysobull has never been found, but there are six documents concerning the Archontopoula that have been published; of the six, historians consider just two to be the most interesting.

These two documents, however, contain historical information that historians consider “mutually irreconcilable.” One document actually has the notation “Falsification,” and there are three versions of the second, two written in Greek and one in Italian, but only one of them (Greek) is dated. Historians cannot agree on whether the documents are authentic or “suspect.”

It is a fact, however, that by the beginning of the 13th Century certain Cretan families owned much land, lived as landed aristocracy and led revolts against the Venetians.

Whether they were actually sent here originally by an emperor has not been proven. Whether an “order” or chrysobull was ever issued has not been proven. And whether they were of “great and noble birth” is not known, but it makes for one of the most fascinating stories still told in the tavernas in the mountains of Crete.

Published in The National Herald.